List of Skills
SJG Forum Threads Skill of the Week A-D Skill of the Week E-K Skill of the Week L-R Skill of the Week S-Z Wiki Listing __TOC__ "Difficulty is E''' for Easy, '''A for Average, H''' for Hard, or '''VH for Very Hard. Defaults marked with * either do not always apply or vary in special circumstances; see the entry in the main text. Skills marked with † require specialization." This combines information in the Basic Set and GURPS Skill Categories. GURPS Power-Ups 7: Wildcard Skills lists Wildcard Skills which groups several of the skills below together. Animal "To study animals in the lab, learn Natural Sciences skills such as Biology/TL, Paleontology/TL, and Physiology/TL." Arts/Entertainment Athletic Business Combat/Weapon The unusual abilities of cinematic martial-arts masters are Esoteric skills Melee Combat Ranged Combat Craft "Craft skills deal specifically with doing the work necessary to turn raw materials – cloth, leather, metal, stone, wood, etc. – into finished goods." Criminal/Street "Members of any profession might sell their skills for a dishonest buck, but a few skills are common among criminals and rarely learned by honest folk. These often overlap Police and Spy skills. In some times and places, being trained in the technological skills on this list may be a Secret for anyone but a government agent." Design/Invention "These skills deal with conceiving new artifacts and technologyB473-479 Use Architecture/TL for buildings, Bioengineering/TL for biotech, Computer Programming/TL for software, Engineer/TL for machines, and Pharmacy/TL for drugs. Maintaining technology calls for Repair/Maintenance skills; using it generally requires Combat/Weapon, Technical, or Vehicle skills." Esoteric Esoteric skills let the user direct bioenergy, chi, psi, or another force that originates within his mind or body. They are to skills as exotic and supernatural advantages are to advantages. The GM decides which Esoteric skills exist in the campaign and may require prerequisite advantages, such as Trained By A Master, even for skills that don’t specifically list such requirements. Everyman "Most of these skills fall into other categories, too. What they have in common is that in cultures and TLs where they exist at all, almost everyone will know two or three of them – including any hero who didn’t grow up under a rock!" Knowledge These skills represent knowledge of an activity, place, group of people, or body of research. Expert Skills are by definition arcane, though, and Hidden Lore might even require an Unusual Background. Medical "Medical skills are for treating injury and afflictionB423-425 They are the job skills of medical professionals – doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, etc. – and first responders such as army medics and paramedics. In some settings, barbers, herbalists, midwives, and even torturers will know some of these skills." Military "Military forces often have members with every skill imaginable, but a few skills are rare outside the armed services. The GM may make Military Rank or Security Clearance a prerequisite for certain technological skills on this list. Most military personnel also know Combat/Weapon skills and a few Technical and Vehicle skills." Natural Sciences These skills attempt to explain the natural world, from subatomic particles to galaxies. Those who study manmade artifacts have Design/Invention skills, those who study medicine have Medical skills, and those who study the cultures of sapient beings have Social Sciences/Humanities skills. Occult/Magical "Occult/Magical skills deal with gods, magic, spirits, and similar otherworldly forces. They are the professional skills of priests, shamans, and wizards – any of whom might also learn spells or other working magic. Unusual forces that originate within the user are the focus of Esoteric skills" Outdoor/Exploration The skills below are useful for these purposes and common among explorers, pioneers, prospectors, and rangers. Most outdoorsmen also know Animal or Vehicle skills: Riding for their horse, Boating for their canoe, and so forth Plant These skills deal with growing things. Unlike Animal skills, this category includes both lab study and practical skills. Police "Day-to-day police work mostly involves Social skills (below), but officers also learn skills that are rare outside the underworld (Criminal/Street skills), military (Military skills), or intelligence agencies (Spy skills). The GM may make Legal Enforcement Powers or Police Rank a prerequisite for the technological skills below. See also Combat/Weapon and Vehicle skills. Repair/Maintenance "These skills cover installing, repairing, and modifying electrical or mechanical devices. Inventing such things requires Design/Invention skills; using them calls for Technical skills. To work with raw materials instead of manufactured gadgets, learn Craft skills." Scholarly "Skills relevant to reading, writing, research, and lecturing are common among sages, professors, and other learned folk. A scholar might know any or all of the skills below, if they exist in his world. These usually accompany skills from the Design/Invention, Natural Sciences, Occult/Magical, and Social Sciences/Humanities groups. Social "Social skills all involve one individual or group trying to relate to another. Some are basically “hands off” (e.g., using Current Affairs (People) or Heraldry to recognize someone famous). Others actively seek to affect others’ actions or emotions." Social Sciences/Humanities "These skills study the “world of the mind”: the behavior, beliefs, civilizations, and social systems of intelligent beings. They might analyze the past, try to understand the present, or attempt to predict future behavior. The systematic study of the natural world is covered by Natural Sciences skills." Spy "Spy skills cover the specialized “tradecraft” of intelligence and security officers. They blur into Criminal/Street, Military, and Police skills – all of which are common among spies with suitable backgrounds. Rank or Security Clearance is often a prerequisite for certain technological skills on this list. Cinematic spies will also know Combat/Weapon skills!" Technical "These skills cover the operation of specialized technology other than vehicles (which use Vehicle skills). They are common among those trained in Military, Police, and Spy skills – which heavily overlap this category – and those with Design/Invention, Medical, and Natural Sciences skills (and their assistants)." Vehicle "Vehicle skills cover the training needed to operate anything from a covered wagon to a starship – including steering the thing, basic maintenance, loading cargo, and plotting courses. Specialist crew will possess other skills: Technical skills for radiomen and sensor operators, Repair/Maintenance skills for engineers, Combat/Weapon skills for gunners and marines, and so forth." References See also * Skill * List of Advantages * List of Disadvantages Category:Game Master Advice Category:Lists